Safety contrivance for bag sealer

ABSTRACT

Safety contrivance for bag sealer is provided, including a pair of specially designed terminal brackets mounted on opposite ends of an upper jaw of the bag sealer. The terminal bracket has an angular slot, including a vertical and a horizontal slot sections, right down the middle to create a three dimensional space in the bracket and two identical halves on the right and left sides, with a slot depth greater than the vertical length of the trimmer, so that the trimmer can be completely concealed in the bracket enclosure to prevent possible infliction of cuts or more serious body injuries even if the operator&#39;s hand is in contact with the cutting edge of the trimmer blade accidentally.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a safety contrivance for a bag sealer, and in particular to a pair of specially designed terminal brackets mounted on opposite ends of an upper jaw of the bag sealer which is able to conceal the blade of the trimmer, so as to prevent possible infliction of cuts or other body injuries if the operator's hand reaches under and touches the trimmer blade accidentally.

2. The Related Art

A bag sealer is a thermo-mechanical means for sealing the opening of a plastic bag and other thermoplastic materials, which is extensively used by the food and packaging industries.

The bag sealer uses low voltage heating element to heat up to a temperature which causes the material of the plastic bag to melt, and then the element is cooled to allow the molten material to set under pressure. Referring to FIG. 5, the conventional bag sealer is composed of a base 1 and a moving arm 3, wherein one end of the movable arm 3 and one end of the base 1 are connected by a pair of connecting rods 11 to form a sealing jaw with a knuckle joint. The lower jaw that is the upper surface of the base 1 holds a heating element 10, and the upper jaw that is the lower side of the movable arm 3 holds a silicon rubber 30.

With regard to the manner of operation, the mouth portion of the plastic bag is first placed across the lower jaw, and then the upper jaw is closed on the lower jaw, so that the connecting rods 11 trigger the heating element 10 to produce thermal energy, and then the upper jaw is pressed against the plastic bag to cause the plastic material near the mouth of the plastic bag to melt and seal the mouth of the plastic bag, and then the heating element 10 is cooled to allow the molten material to set under pressure, and then an external force is applied on the push knob 33, on the upper surface of the movable arm 3, to push the trimmer 32 along the long slit 31 from one end to the other, so that the plastic bag is cut to length or the sealed end of tubing is cut off for another bag.

Referring to FIG. 6, in the conventional bag sealer, the trimmer 32, which is actually a sharp blade used to cut apart the thin membrane materials, is physically exposed underneath the movable arm of the bag sealer. To an unwary operator, the exposed trimmer blade on the underside of the movable arm 3 can easily cause cuts and more serious body injuries if the operator's hand reaches under the movable arm 3. Therefore, there shall be some kind of safety measure to ensure the operational safety when one works on the bag sealer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a safety contrivance for bag sealers, in which a pair of specially designed terminal brackets are to be mounted on opposite ends of the upper jaw of the bag sealer, each having an angular slot right down the middle with slot depth greater than the vertical length of the trimmer, so the trimmer can be completely concealed in the bracket enclosure to prevent possible infliction of cuts or other body injuries if the operator's hand reaches under and touches the trimmer blade accidentally.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the bag sealer includes a base, a moving arm, a trimmer, and a pair of terminal brackets mounted on opposite ends of the upper jaw, wherein one end of the movable arm and one end of the base are connected to form a sealing jaw with knuckle joint. The lower jaw, that is the upper side of the base, holds a heating element, and the upper jaw, that is the lower side of the movable arm, holds a silicon rubber.

The focus of the invention is on the pair of terminal brackets attached on opposite ends of the silicon rubber of the upper jaw, where the movable arm has a long slit running through the center line, cutting through the silicon rubber, which is physically linked with other two slot sections on two ends to defme a lineal motion path for the trimmer.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the terminal bracket is intended to fit. most bag sealers. The pair of terminal brackets can be mounted either on opposite ends or only one end of the silicon rubber of the upper jaw, depending on the position of the trimmer and the structure of the sealing jaw.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the angular terminal bracket is formed with an angular slot, including a vertical and a horizontal slot sections, right down the middle of the bracket to create a three dimensional space inside the bracket and two identical halves on the right and left sides, wherein the horizontal slot section is respectively lined up with the long slit on both ends to form the motion path that the trimmer travels through from one end to the other.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the vertical slot section and the horizontal slot section are physically linked, and the horizontal slot section is partially wrapped by a U-shaped envelop with slot depth greater than the vertical length of the trimmer, so that the trimmer can be completely concealed in the bracket enclosure when the trimmer travels to the end of the motion path, which is a three dimensional space defined together by the vertical slot section and the horizontal slot section. This safety contrivance can prevent possible infliction of cuts or more serious body injuries if the operator's hand reaches in and touches the cutting edge of the trimmer blade accidentally.

The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the bag sealer in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged diagram of the safety contrivance being mounted in the bag sealer in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the terminal bracket relative to the upper and lower jaws of the bag sealer;

FIG. 4 is a plan view schematic diagram showing the position of the trimmer resting in the terminal bracket in one preferred embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematic diagram of a part of the conventional bag sealer; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view schematic diagram showing the position of the exposed trimmer on a conventional bag sealer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The basic structure of the bag sealer in accordance with the present invention as shown in FIG. 1, includes a base I, a support stand 2 and a moving arm 3, wherein one end of the movable arm 3 and one end of the base I are connected by a pair of connecting rods 11 to form a sealing jaw with knuckle joint. The lower jaw that is the upper side of the base 1 holds a heating element 10, and the upper jaw that is the lower side of the movable arm 3 holds a silicon rubber 30.

Referring back to FIGS. 2 and 3, the moving arm 3 is provided with a long slit 31 extending from one end to the another end of the silicon rubber 30, and a trimmer 32, which is attached to a push knob 33 exposed on the top surface of the moving arm 3, which is used to cut off membrane material on the sealed end of the plastic bag.

With regard to the manner of operation, the mouth portion of the plastic bag is first placed across the lower sealing jaw which holds the heating element 10, and then the upper jaw is closed on the lower jaw, so that the pair of connecting rods 11 triggers the heating element 10 to produce thermal energy, and then the upper jaw is pressed on the plastic bag to cause the plastic material near the mouth of the plastic bag to melt and seal the mouth of the plastic bag, and then the heating element 10 is cooled to allow the molten material to set under pressure, and then an external force is applied on the push knob 33 of the movable arm 3 to push the trimmer 32 along the long slit 31 from one end to the other end, so the plastic bag is cut off along the travel path of the trimmer 32 to cut a sealed package to length or the sealed end of tubing for another bag to be sealed.

The present invention is focused on the safety contrivance which is actually a pair of special terminal brackets 4 in the bag sealer as shown in FIG. 3. Since the other components are similar to those in standard hand-operated bag sealers which have been adequately illustrated in previously published articles, their structures and functional roles will not be reiterated hereafter.

The present invention is designed to fit most hand-operated bag sealers. The angular terminal brackets 4 are attached on two ends of the silicon rubber 30. The terminal bracket 4 may be mounted on two ends or only one end of the silicon rubber 30, depending on the structure of the bag sealer and the position of the trimmer. Each angular terminal bracket 4 is respectively formed with a vertical slot section 40 and a horizontal slot section 42 right down the middle to create a three dimensional space inside the bracket and two identical halves on the right and left sides. The long slit 31 of the movable arm 3 is aligned with the horizontal slot section 42 on both ends to define a lineal motion path that the trimmer 32 travels through from one end to the other, where the horizontal slot section 42 is partially wrapped by a U-shaped envelop 41 with its mouth being linked with the long slit 31 on both ends.

The vertical slot section 40 is physically linked with the horizontal slot section 42 running across the middle of the angular terminal bracket to create a three dimensional space inside the terminal bracket 4 with slot depth greater than the vertical length of the trimmer 32, so that the trimmer 32 can be completely concealed in the bracket enclosure when the trimmer 32 is stopped at the end of the motion path.

The smooth vertical surface of the angular terminal bracket 4 is provided with a plurality of second screw holes 44 to allow the terminal bracket 4 to be fixed beneath the silicon rubber 30 on the underside of the movable arm 3 using screws 47. The horizontal surface of the angular terminal bracket 4 is provided with a pair of first screw holes 43, through which two screws 45 are used to hold a pair of springs 46 in suspension between the horizontal surface of the terminal bracket 4 and corresponding surface of the movable arm 3 as shown in FIG. 4. The vertically mounted screw 45 does not touch the surface of the movable arm 3, so a buffer space is thus created between the screw 45 and corresponding surface of the movable arm 3 which is intended to reduce the pressure on the terminal brackets 4 when the upper jaw is closed on the lower jaw.

Referring to FIG.

Referring to FIG. 4, when the terminal brackets 4 are mounted, a lineal motion path of the trimmer 32 is defined with the two slot sections 42 being connected to two ends of the connected to two ends of the long slit 31. The trimmer 32 is held in the terminal bracket 4 after cutting the bracket 4 after cutting the sealed end of the packaged item, and completely concealed in the bracket enclosure created by the vertical slot section 40 and the horizontal slot section 42, section 42, so even if the operator's hand reaches under and touches the trimmer blade 32 32accidentally when working on the bag sealer, operational safety can be ensured.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims. 

1. A safety contrivance for bag sealer comprising a pair of angular terminal brackets mounted on opposite ends of the upper jaw of the bag sealer, wherein an angular slot, including a vertical and a horizontal slot sections, is provided right down the middle of the bracket with slot depth great than the vertical length of the trimmer to allow the trimmer blade to be completely concealed in the bracket enclosure.
 2. The safety contrivance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the angular terminal bracket is L-shaped having a vertical slot section and a horizontal slot section running across the middle to create a three dimensional space inside the terminal bracket and two identical halves on the right and left sides of the terminal bracket.
 3. The safety contrivance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vertical slot section and the horizontal slot section of the terminal bracket are physically linked, and the horizontal slot section is partially wrapped by a U-shaped envelop with a mouth facing the same mouth of the other terminal bracket disposed on the opposite end of the upper jaw.
 4. The safety contrivance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pair of terminal brackets is mounted on opposite ends of the upper jaw.
 5. The safety contrivance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the terminal bracket is mounted only on one end of the upper jaw. 